


Cradle DJ

by Zeath



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Awkward Romance, Awkward fathering, Bro is just awkward all around, Caretaking, Clothed Sex, DJ - Freeform, Grinding, Groping, M/M, baby!Dave, clothed orgasm, infant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2014-05-31
Packaged: 2018-01-26 17:48:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1697033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeath/pseuds/Zeath
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bro finds a baby abandoned and ends up caring for him. Except he's poor, lives in a shitty condition and doesn't know anything about taking care of a child.<br/>(It does get mature near the later chapters)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When the alarm went off in its repetitive tone at the ass crack of dawn, Bro woke up bleary eyed. He looked up at the ceiling; worn down from age, paint growing stains and chipping off in some places. He slammed his palm down to shut the annoying clock off, sitting up with a disgruntled sound and rubbing his face with his palms.

Mornings were always the hard part of the day, but you get into a certain routine after a while, you know? Bro was no different; he sat on his mattress, looking around his bedroom, wondering why he ever wanted to get up. It wasn’t much of a bedroom either; it only had an alarm clock, his suitcase full of clothing, a couple pairs of shoes and his mattress in the corner of the room. The only luxury he had was his mp3 player, turntables and the headphones to go along with it, he was happy that he finally got to get his turntables, it was another step towards his dream job.

He stood up and stretched out his body, popping a few tendons in his back before going into the next room and looking in the mirror to brush his teeth and gel back his out of place hair. By the time he perfected his hair-do and ate some left over pizza, he was already ten minutes late. Fuck. Bro quickly grabbed his shades and bag that had his turntables in and ran out the door, speeding off on foot to the comic store.

After apologizing profusely to the manager, he got to work, putting his bag behind the counter and started getting out new comic books and putting them on the shelves, cleaning up the dust around the place. It was quiet again. No one really came into the store apart from kids when they came out of school, or those greasy adults that only bought the comics that had women with skimpy clothing on. So the days he worked were quite boring, he sat around behind the counter, plugging up his mp3 player to his turntables and practising. When he played, he always got a couple of onlookers peeking in the windows, but not actually coming in to say anything, but it always made Bro feel a sense of pride in his chest. It made his day go by more smoothly when he was playing with his music.

Bro breathed out a sigh of relief when he next checked the time, setting his precious devices of music away in his bag before leaving the store, treading his way home. He began to think what he had in the fridge that he could eat before he suddenly heard a small cry. He stopped walking and looked around, but no one was around. He could still hear crying, it was a child; no adult would make that sound. Bro started looking around with more purpose, his frown deepening as he wasn’t getting closer to the sound but he couldn’t see any evidence of a child nearby.

He got so desperate that he started looking in dustbins, searching around bushes, by the third dustbin he passed; Bro was going out of his mind. Until a little spot of blue found itself in the line of Bro’s vision. He ran to the blue bundle, kneeling down before it.

It was a baby, wailing in hunger. Its hands were balled up into fists and the rest of its body was covered up in a blue blanket which was slowly getting dirty on the ground, loosening as the baby wriggled around. The baby’s face was pudgy, cheeks and nose red from the cold, eyes puffy from crying so long and hard with no one listening but Bro.

Shit, who would leave a baby outside to freeze like this? Where was this kid’s mother? He didn’t even want to think about it, what he knew was this child couldn’t stay out in the cold any longer. He awkwardly scooped up the baby in his arms, holding it against his chest for warmth as he started walking home.

“It’s gonna be okay, li’l guy.” He murmured mostly to himself, keeping the baby’s face to him, tiny fingers grabbing and clutching onto Bro’s shirt.

“Everything is going to be okay.”


	2. Chapter 2

Everything was so not okay.

He had an infant in his arms with no food, no clothing, no proper bed to sleep in and the continuous crying was slowly getting on Bro’s nerves. He had milk but it didn’t have the proper type of nutrients for a baby. He had no diapers for fucks sake. Plus, to make everything worse; it was too late to go out and buy anything he needed, all the stores were shut by now. He would have to go out and get it all tomorrow, which meant he would have to deal with a mostly naked baby that wanted warmth, food and comfort of a mother.

He was so fucked.

Bro sat on his worn down arm chair in the living room, the baby in question resting in the crook of his arm, eyes shut tight as rivers of tears trickled down pudgy cheeks. No matter what Bro did, the baby didn’t stop the onslaught of unhappy shrieking. He tried wiggling his fingers, tickling the child, making funny faces; he even tried to rock it to sleep. After a while he was wondering why he even picked this child up.

He mentally slapped himself; of course he knew why he picked this infant up. He wasn’t evil, that’s why. He had an idea of why the baby was thrown out into the harsh world, too. When he got a glimpse of the baby’s eyes, it got him straight away; the infant’s eyes were crimson red. Some god fearing parents probably got scared and left him to die, fucking idiots.

Bro looked down at the baby again, he should probably wash it. The infant was still in the grimy blue blanket he found it in. Breathing out a sigh, he got to work and went into the bathroom with it, turning on the water in the discolored bathtub and checking the temperature before leaving it to fill up while he set the child on the floor, peeling back the blanket.

“Hopefully you haven’t left me any surprises.” Bro spoke softly to the grizzling child while he took off the diaper, almost cheering as he found it clean, looking around for any traces before nodding. “Huh… I guess I can call you a lil’ man now. Let’s get you clean.”

Lifting the baby up for some sort of dignity, he held the baby boy against his shoulder. Kneeling down against the bathtub and checking the temperature again just in case it suddenly went ice cold in the matter of a few minutes, the shitty water system here always did that when he wanted a relaxing shower.

Once he saw it as all clear, he gently set the boy in the bath, keeping a hand on him to lean on while his other hand cupped the lukewarm water and poured it on the child’s stomach and legs.

“Don’t give me that look, kid. I don’t want you getting sick.” Bro chided as the ruby eyes stared up at him, still glistening with tears. He was starting to thank the health teacher for making him do a lesson on pregnancy and child raising now, he knew how to wash a child, keeping the head up and gentle touches to not damage the baby’s skin.

It seemed to work pretty well because the boy didn’t start crying again and before he knew it, the baby was clean. He pulled the only towel he had from the rack, setting it on the floor and pulling the infant out the bath before laying him down. He didn’t really know how to wrap up a baby so he went for a sausage look, making sure everything was tucked up before he lifted him up again and let out the bath, walking into the bedroom.

He left the sausage of a child on the mattress while he dug through his clothes to find something that could stand as a night gown for the boy, pulling out a red polo shirt, he nodded; this would have to do for now. He slipped the towel off the boy and pulled the polo on him, making Bro chuckle at how small he looked in the shirt before laying down and pulling the child on his chest.

“Guess it’s just us now, I’m going to be taking care of you now.” He said, looking up once again at the ceiling, keeping his hand protectively on the baby’s back. Then he frowned; he should give this little guy a name, a cool name, a simple name. Not like the one his mother thought up; who names their child ‘Broderick’?

“Now let’s see… Brad… Shane?… Tim. You like Tim?” His golden eyes darted down to meet crimson, the baby’s face was not pleased. “Yeah, I guess Tim is a pretty shitty name… How about…. Dave?”

This time the baby blinked, but that was enough for Bro to nod in approval. “Yeah, that’s a cool guy name, Dave.”

Dave plonked his head down on Bro’s chest, not really caring all that much, his tiny fingers curling around the man’s shirt again, clutching as he drifted off into sleep. Bro kept himself awake, thinking things out in his head; how he was going to be taking care of this child, his place wasn’t child friendly, heck, it was barely adult friendly. But he will make do, because a Strider always makes do with their surroundings.

He closed his weary eyes, letting the peaceful breathing of the infant on top of him be the symphony of his dreams as he let sleep take him for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

The alarm wasn’t what woke him up; it was Dave’s hungry wail.

Bro sighed as he sat up, rubbed the baby’s back and looked over at the clock, letting out another breath at how early it was.

It wasn’t like he was going to get anymore sleep, so he got up and started thinking up a plan of how to tell his manager about the kid as he looked through his fridge, pulling out some pizza and eating it cold.

Dave looked longingly at the cold slice of pizza, his bottom lip wobbling and Bro sighed; he must be super hungry, now he feels a little guilty for eating in front of him and forgetting that the infant didn’t have any milk to have.

He strode back into the bedroom and started to think up a plan, pulling out a few more shirts with long sleeves, tying them around Dave and turning the shirts into a make shift baby carrier, he tied the sleeves around his own back and neck, making sure the baby was comfortable and safe to move. He grabbed his wallet and put on his shades, going out the shitty apartment and to the nearest store that was open at these hours.

Bro didn’t know what to choose, everything looked important, he had diapers and overpriced baby shampoo. Seriously, it is shampoo for a baby and it doesn’t need to be that expensive, but he guesses that’s his wallet speaking. He was looking at baby formula intensely, reading each bottle carefully, choosing the ready to use formula and putting it in his basket.

His eyes darted down at Dave who seemed to be enjoying the ride; the little tufts of blonde bobbing as he admired the small store with awe written on his face, he couldn’t be mad at that face. “You are going to kill my wallet, kid…”

He checked to see if he could get anything else for a baby in this store before paying for it all, biting back a groan of sadness at all his money being taken away from him. ‘It’s all for Dave, so it doesn’t matter’ he kept repeating to himself as he carried the bags back home to his crappy apartment to finally feed the starving child.

As soon as he step foot in the kitchen, he opened up the formula and read the instructions, it seemed simple enough, he just had to shake it and heat it up. He popped the bottle in the microwave for the amount of time it was written on the packet and prayed that the amount of electricity doesn’t die out on him. While the bottle was heating up, he took off the make shift baby carrier and laid Dave out on the counter, pulling out a diaper and frowning as he tried to fit it on him.

It wasn’t as easy as the lady in the commercials made it out to be, Dave wriggled and writhed, legs kicking as Bro attempted to fit his feet through the diapers leg holes. “Keep still, kid.”

The microwave pinged as he slipped the material up Dave’s legs, quickly sticking it down before the baby could move anymore, grinning in triumph and getting the bottle out. Lifting Dave up into the crook of his arm and pushing the nipple of the bottle into Dave’s mouth, he waited for the boy to feed. And holy fuck did he feed, he was gulping that shit down like no tomorrow, didn’t even touch the sides.

Bro was feeling quite proud of himself; he bought all the right baby stuff, put on a diaper without help and even fed Dave properly. Not bad for a seventeen year old, he pondered. That is until the alarm went off in the bedroom, bringing him back to the reality that he still had work to go to. Shit.

He quickly went into the bedroom to turn the clock off, going into the bathroom with Dave still in his arms. His hair seemed fine, touching it up a bit to work out the spikes and sulking out a sigh, it’ll have to do; he would be busy getting ready today. He had to pack all the shit for Dave, he couldn’t think selfishly.

Once Dave finished the last drop of formulated milk, Bro made the move of getting the baby dressed, searching for small shirts and pulling it on Dave. He laid the infant out on the mattress while he got to work with the items he will need; a bottle in case Dave got hungry, a diaper in case Dave did his nasty business and finally, another shirt in case Dave decided to puke everywhere like he’s seen on TV. He doesn’t want a dirty shirt for the whole day; that shit’s gross.

He stuffed all the items in a bag and slung it around his shoulder, lifting Dave up once again and keeping him close to his chest while he grabbed his shades and went out the door, thinking out how to explain having a random baby at the front counter to his manager.


	4. Chapter 4

When Bro stepped into the store, he immediately got an earful by his manager.

“You are ten minutes late!!” He growled out, the tone of his voice making Dave whimper and attempt to bring himself closer to Bro’s chest, which in turn made the manager frown and stare at the lump in the make shift baby carrier.

“Who is that, why do you have a baby, Broderick?” Bro hated that name. Hated it with every essence of his being. But he knew what he had to say, he thought about it all the way here.

“This is Dave.” He deadpanned and walked to the counter, setting the bag down carefully, the manager didn’t seem to find the answer very amusing, following Bro’s footsteps.

“I mean, why do you have the baby?” He tries again, getting more impatient. Bro just shrugged, and settled with his theory.

“My father gave him to me.” He lied, knowing the manager wouldn’t go any deeper because he knew of Bro’s past with his father, how his father treated him. He nodded his head and let the matter drop, it was enough to put Bro at ease. His manager was an alright person, he respected those who respected him. Bro never really called the manager by his name, just calling him ‘Boss’, he did it out of respect, even though now and again the manager would ask him to call him by his surname, he never would.

Bro undid the sleeves round his waist and neck, laying the infant on the counter, Dave looked a little irritated, the side of his mouth was dribbling milk, gross. The manager came over to have a look, his face drooping a little in a frown as the infant started to cry, wriggling around like a worm in mud.

“His name is Dave, yes?” He spoke softly to not alert the child anymore, Bro nodded.

“Has Dave been washed? Fed? Changed?” Bro nodded again, a smile of pride ran onto his face. The boss took a closer look to the baby who was making an unhappy face, sobbing as more milk drooled out his mouth.

“Did you burp him? He looks uncomfortable.” Bro’s face slumped like it had been slapped; what was burping? That never came up in his health class. He replied negatively and the manager sighed, shaking his head almost in shame and gently pushed Bro away so he could lift up the wailing child, holding his head over his shoulder.

“If you do not burp them, they will be sick. You do not want a sick baby.” He huffed out and started to pat the distressed child’s back, rocking his body. This was kind of embarrassing to Bro; he was getting taught how to take care of an infant by his boss, but it was understanding how the manager knew how to do these sorts of things, being a father himself. He watched because it was a sort of unnaturally sweet sight to see as the baby started to calm down at the soft rocking motions. Dave then made a small noise and hiccupped before spitting up some milk, the manager didn’t seem to mind that his shirt now had baby spew on it, he just gently gave Dave to me.

“Take care of the child, if you need anything you have my number, Broderick.” After stating that, he let into his office, probably to get out of that nasty shirt. He sat down at the counter with Dave on his lap, bouncing him on his knee like he’s seen on those adverts.

Throughout the day, Bro was tending to the comics in the store and he was surprised at what a reaction a baby can do for publicity. Quite a few women came into the store and bought magazines and comics before going into nurturing tones, making goo-goo faces at Dave who doesn’t seem to mind all that much, even playing with one of the ladies keys as she dangles them in front of his pudgy hands.

For an infant, Dave sure knows how to bring in business, the money today went up by a lot and Bro was pretty sure he’d be seeing some of the women again. The manager was impressed too and let him off early, giving Bro some cash and saying how Dave needs clothing; he can’t stay in oversized shirts forever.

He grabbed his stuff and carried Dave out the store, grinning from ear to ear as the baby was happily pressed to his side. He spoke proudly to the little one, content at the peaceful face he was showing, red eyes shut and relaxing himself to the rocking of Bro’s walking.

“Guess who’s going shopping for some sweet as fuck clothes?”


	5. Chapter 5

The shopping centre was quite large, Bro never realised until he saw that the loud chattering of strangers were making Dave uncomfortable.

He wanted to get this sorted out fast, looking around the centre for shops that would be for children. As he walked down the fancy looking tiles, his eyes trained on the names of each stores, some were in fancy writing and some looked like they were painted on roughly by children. Many were just one name in big letters, but some had longer names; it was all about catching people’s eye and getting them to come inside and buy whatever they had in the shop.

Bro did see a couple of good stores with baby clothes in but they were for children way bigger than Dave, so he looked elsewhere and soon enough he found the perfect shop for him. The sign out front of the shop was big and green, easily catching someone’s eyes, also the posters of kids in the windows did help a lot too, he went inside and sure enough there were clothes that would easily fit Dave hanging right in the corner of the somewhat quiet shop.

He didn’t know the proper age of Dave, but he guessed that he was around five months old. He looked at all the baby grows, seeing some catchy phrases on the front of some, bright colors but they were mostly the same, Bro checked the price of them and saw they were being sold three for the price of one, what a fucking bargain. He took three off the rack and took a look at a few others, knowing that he couldn’t just take three, a baby is going to get these dirty and from the feel of material, they could easily get Dave cold.

Bro looked at another rack where it showed a onesie with a blue hat pinned to it, that would help out a lot so he picked that up too. While examining prices and counting how much he would be spending, he heard a soft voice behind him.

“Need some help, buddy?”

He turned around and got a look at the owner of the voice; it was an employee, a man a bit shorter than him, with dark brown hair. His green eyes shined brightly behind the rectangular glasses. He was slightly tanned which made the uniform he was wearing suit him perfectly, Bro was looking him up and down before replying curtly.

“Maybe I do.” He didn’t seem to put the man off at all, he only smiled. Damn, those teeth seemed to stand out due to their pearly whiteness; what did he do to them? He must floss a lot.

“I work here so no need to be on edge there, pal! My name’s Jake and I see you were having a little difficulty with the baby clothes.” He laughed light heartedly and holy shit that was a strong British accent coming off the man. Jake looked down at Dave, who was clinging to Bro’s shirt and looking at a colorful baby grow. “Well isn’t he a cutie! What’s his name?”

“Dave.” Jake nodded and leaned down a little to Dave’s height, getting the baby’s attention by wiggling his fingers on his stomach.

“Hi, Dave! Wow aren’t you a big boy!” He stood up straight, his laughter shaking his shoulders before looking up at Bro. “Do you need a basket? Your hands look a little full.”

“… Will I need anything else besides these?” The question sounded odd but Bro didn’t want to go shopping for useless things, he only had a limited supply of money. Jake frowned for a second before a smile widened on his goofy face again, leading the blonde across to another aisle.

“You can buy little booties, they’re kind of like socks and shoes put into one, they’re soft too so they are popular for toddlers and babies. You can also get a few hats and coats; they’re half price at the moment. You can also get some pacifiers for when the little guy gets grumpy.” He chuckles and pointed to the objects in question as he went down the short aisle, stopping at the end and beaming brightly at Bro. “I’ll get you a basket.”

He walked away with a skip in his step and left Bro to look back at the items Jake talked about, frowning; he won’t need a coat for Dave, he can just provide warmth for him and protect Dave from the rain. He might need a couple more hats. He picked up a few off the rack just as the bouncing employee came back with the green basket.

“Ah! Good choice, those are super warm for babies.” He comments, setting the basket next to Bro’s feet, Bro finds it a little awkward to hold Dave and put the items in the basket, frowning. Jake seems to of seen the problem and politely helps out by taking the clothing from Bro’s arms and putting them in the basket.

“You could get a baby carrier too, there’s a store a few shops down that sell them, prams too, if you’re interested.” Bro stood there awkwardly before shaking his head, looking down at Dave, who was stuffing his fingers in his mouth.

“I don’t have enough money.” He stated and the British brunette nodded in understanding, smiling sympathetically, his emerald eyes following the blonde down the aisle to where he was picking a few booties up.

“That’s a bummer. Only came for necessary things, then?” Bro nodded, putting the baby boots into the basket, going to where the pacifiers are hanging up and getting one. Jake was about to speak again but Dave’s erupting sneeze stopped him mid speech. Dave didn’t know what that strange noise was and it surprised him, so he did the only thing he knew how to do when shocked; he cried. He cried hard and Bro didn’t know how to stop it, he tried that shushing thing he saw his manager do, he tried rocking Dave and patting his back, nothing was working.

Bro suddenly saw Jake coming closer and taking something off a rack and putting it near Dave’s face, shaking it. The thing started to make a soft rattling sound and all of a sudden, the crying just stopped. Dave’s face was puffy and red but he stared at the toy almost entranced by the rattling sound.

“You might need this too, does he have any toys?” Bro shook his head, feeling guilt seep into his chest. The British employee just smiled and put the rattle in the basket. “There’s a toy store opposite us, it’s cheap too. I could come with you and help you pick out suitable toys.”

There was something a little off about Jake’s voice just then, it was laced with something; nervousness? Either way it sounded like a good idea. Bro didn’t really know much about the pleasures of childhood toys, and having someone to help him out sounded like a good idea, especially since he would be carrying a bag and Dave. His hands would be full. “Alright.”

Jake’s face lit up with happiness, Bro lifted the basket and went to the till to pay for the clothing and rattle, only thirty dollars, pretty good deal. He still had twenty left and Bro thinks it’ll be enough to buy a couple toys. They left the store, the blonde following the bouncing brunette to the shop opposite, the sign was in rainbow form and by the looks of it, the store was full of toys of all ages. Posters of deals and prices with pictures of electric gadgets for kids to play with were hanging up on the walls. Bro frowned at the obvious divide between girl and boy; the girls’ side was the fuzzy pink walls full of dollies and plush toys while the boy’s side was more blue and green with cars and electric gadgets hung up in rows. He was led by Jake further back in the store to a rainbow filled haven for babies and toddlers, soft trinkets and musical noise was in the air as kids tested the toys out.

“So these are dandy, they help engage the child’s brain, usually through movement.” Jake pointed to the bouncing toys in the corner that has a few kids’ attentions. “There’s also rainbow bars, they’re super cool. Oh! Also there’s…” Jake rambled on about baby toys, picking up a few for a demonstration. Bro was looking at a few simple toys, one caught his eye and he lifted it up; it was a musical box, if you pressed different buttons on the box, it would make a different noise. He showed it to Dave, who inspected it intensely before reaching out and bopping a button, it making a symbol noise. It surprised him, but he didn’t mind the sound, hitting it again and hearing the same sound.

He made a small noise of curiousness and that was enough for Bro to buy it, plus the fact that he wanted Dave to be interested in music at an early age was a big thing to Bro. After he went through the row of toys he realised he only had a small amount of toys and even less money. Dave seemed to be getting grumpy though so he thought he should pay for the items and leave for home before the baby had a tantrum or something.

“Jake. I think these are enough for now.” Jake turned to him and nodded, smiling at Dave who was starting to grizzle. Bro went to pay for the toys, feeling relieved that he had just enough, only a dollar fifty to spare. Once the toys were bagged up, Bro went to the entrance way with Jake and thanked him for his assistance.

“No need to thank me, chap! I’m just doing my job! I love helping out kids.” He was so genuine, it made Bro feel a tightness in his chest again. He knew the British man wasn’t a threat at all to himself or to Dave and that made Bro physically relax.

“I would like you to help me with some things. Since you know about these things.” Bro started, getting Jake’s attention. He spoke about how he didn’t know the proper age of Dave and how he needed a bed for the child as well as how he would like to be taught further on Dave’s health and how he will know what to do in an emergency. Jake was delighted to help, it seemed to really cheer him up that he would even be asked something like this from a random stranger.

“Why of course I’ll help! I’ll give you my number so you can call me if anything comes up that you need help with!” He pulls out a pen from his pocket and looks around for some paper, Bro lifted his arm instead.

“Just write it on me.” The brunette hesitated a bit before starting to write his phone number on Bro’s arm. The feel of Jake’s soft skin of his hand on the blonde’s firm arm made Bro’s stomach quiver. The sensation of a spark like thrill being pulsed through him was disturbing and unnatural but not unwelcomed.

“All set! I’ll hear from you soon!” Bro nodded and was on his way out the shopping centre, eyes darting down to Dave who was watching the scene slowly venture off and disappear over his shoulder.

This was going to be interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

A couple of days had passed, Bro was at the comic store again, bored out of his wits.

He didn’t get much sleep last night due to Dave crying at three in the morning for a feeding and a change. Ugh, that shit stinks, no pun intended.

But now Dave was in a comfy looking blue baby grow, lying down on his stomach on the counter with his toys that Bro bought for him. Aside from the music box and rattle, Bro also got him a soft, fuzzy teddy bear and some colorful plastic keys. Dave was happy to bop the buttons on the music box; he really liked the sounds they made; chimes of symbols, a bass drum, some special effect sounds of guitars and even a triangle clang. He liked that one the most, whacking it all the time, the continuous and repetitive clang was getting to be annoying but if the baby liked it then he would endure the constant ringing of the triangle.

As Bro expected, there were women who came into the store to look at Dave, also buying a few magazines to not seem like they were just here for the baby. Bro didn’t care, he was bringing in money and that’s how business goes, Dave didn’t mind much about the women fawning over him either so everything was alright.

He did get a few questions from the women too. Mostly about Dave, though a few of them had a flirtatious look in their eyes, asking about who the mother was. Bro lied again and said how Dave was given to him by his father but that just fuelled the women on more, they asked about why Bro’s father didn’t want such a cute baby like Dave and how he was dealing with the sudden input of a baby into his life, if Bro wanted any help with babysitting and such. It kind of made Bro feel a sudden sickness in his stomach having to lie like this, talking about his father like he was a good person, ugh. He tried to avoid the subject and play with Dave, it made the women’s attention fade off of him and back onto the infant.

Throughout the day, he had been texting Jake a lot; it started with a few questions about feeding and how to shut Dave up when he was wailing into the night. But then it turned into harmless banter, their texts had silly faces, though that was mostly Jake’s thing, and they were talking about music and movies that they had in common. Bro was starting to really like Jake, there was something about him that just made the blonde want to protect him. His phone bleeped again to announce another text and he open it up, reading it.

To: You  
From: Jake  
So I was thinking about what you said earlier, about your baby proofing? I could come over today with supplies if you’d want.

From: You  
To: Jake  
That would help. Thanks.

To: You  
From: Jake  
I’ll meet you at the front entrance on the shopping centre at 3pm? :D

To: Jake  
From: You  
Sure.

Bro didn’t know why he was feeling this weird tightening in his chest again, so he focused on Dave. The baby was putting the colorful keys into his mouth and Bro had to take them out because he doesn’t know where they’ve been, the germs on that toy could make Dave sick. He checked the time; one o’clock. His shift ended in half an hour. He had enough time to pull out his turntables and plug his mp3 into them to practise a song he made.

His hands slid across the disks with ease, feeling the music run through his body all the way to his fingertips. Dave seemed to have stopped playing with his toys to stare at Bro working his magic on the turntables, his eyes bright with a childish awe. Bro looked down at the baby with a grin of pride; one day he will teach Dave how to mix like this.

He continued to play his music until the manager told him his shift was over, so he got up and carried the bundle of joy and his music with him to home so he could clean up a little. It wasn’t a mess but Bro didn’t want Jake to see his clothes all over the floor. He redressed himself in some clean clothes and lifts Dave up again to go out and get the British man.

Bro didn’t have to wait long, thankfully. Dave was already a little grumpy when they left but now he was getting irritated, wriggling in the blonde’s arms. Sure enough the bouncing brunette exited the shopping centre and looked around before his eyes found his target, skipping his way over.

“Hi~! Sorry to keep you waiting… Hi Dave!” Jake booped the baby’s nose which made him snuff and go cross eyed for a moment to get a look at Jake’s finger. “He looks happier than before, though a little fidgety, you’re doing those little exercises with him?”

“Yeah, I think they’re helping out a lot.” Bro replied. Jake had told him to exercise Dave into moving his arms and legs to strengthen them, he’s been stretching them gently and making them move up and down to get the joints moving; who knew babies needed workouts?

“That’s dandy to hear! You’ll be crawling before you know it, oh yes you will.” His voice went sappy and love laced as he baby talked the grumpy infant who was not pleased at all as he arched away and whined high. It was a strange thing to see; a grown man acting like a fool to try and impress a child, but it was not unwelcomed, in fact, Bro rather liked the strange scene, it was like Jake had suddenly sprung motherly nature and was flaunting it.

“Should we leave before he causes a scene?” Bro nodded and they were off, walking away and making small talk as the British man followed Bro. He was rather worried; what if Jake notices how bad it is of a place and tries to take Dave away? No, Jake wouldn’t do that… Would he? Bro inwardly frowned; he would have to be extra careful to avoid any unwanted attention to the lack of sustainability in the apartment.


	7. Chapter 7

As the trio went near the apartment, Bro’s anxiety got more heated in his stomach.

What would Jake think of his living quarters? Would he take one look and call a social worker? Would he just deal with it? Bro was ready to stand up for himself when the small set of apartments came into view, but the British man didn’t say anything and continued walking until they got to Bro’s apartment, the doors paint was chipped and the number that was once golden on the door now rusting pitifully. Bro fished his key out his pocket and opened the door with a squeak of the hinges, letting Jake in first.

He was certainly shocked; his eyes were wide as they looked around the room. There wasn’t much to look at but Bro guessed that’s why he was so surprised. The living room was practically bare, nothing on the strained walls, only a small chair and TV enough to fit. He heard Jake let of a breath; what was that supposed to mean? He didn’t get to finish his train of thought because Jake was on the move, making his way to the kitchen. His eyebrows rose at how little resources Bro had; a microwave on top of a small fridge was all that belonged to him in there, the counter and cabinets already installed of course, but only having limited amount of cheap food and baby formula stacked in the cabinets.

Jake mumbled to himself before zooming off into another room; the bathroom. It was a very simple setting of a toilet, a bath and a shower head connected to the tap system in the tub. The sink was bundled next to the toilet and had a mirror connected to the wall. Bro didn’t think it was that bad compared to the other rooms but the look Jake was making made him think otherwise. He then took off into the last room, Bro’s bedroom; it was the smallest room in the apartment. All it had was a thin mattress and a blanket, the alarm clock sitting next to it and a suitcase lying at the bottom of the mattress.

Bro pulled the bag with his music tools and baby supplies off his shoulder, putting them on the suitcase and turned to Jake. He had his eyes closed, his eyebrows in a deep frown and his mouth turned down into a scowl. He turned his body to the blonde and opened his eyes, looking down to Dave before darting back up to Bro’s.

“So you live here?” Was all he said after a long pause of silence, judgement written in his green eyes. Bro stood strong and stood up for himself, not trusting his voice so curtly nodded. The other man peered round the room again at the limited amount of space and breathed out a sigh. “How much does this place even cost?”

“Cheap enough.” The blonde gruffed out, setting Dave on the mattress with his toys, Jake gives him a look to say how that wasn’t helpful but turned his head away.

“You know, this is a really bad place for a baby to live… It’s small and dangerous and it’s probably darn mouldy behind some of these walls.” Bro shrugged to Jake’s words as if it was nothing he couldn’t handle, exercising with Dave’s legs, lifting them up and down and making the baby kick out excitedly. The brunette took a sidelong glance at the duo before going out into the kitchen. “I need to speak with you seriously, let Dave rest.”

Bro sighed; he knew this was coming; he was going to be told that he shouldn’t live here, that he should move out and find somewhere else or give up Dave. Bro would never do that, even if he had the infant for a short time, he grew extremely fond of him like Dave was his own brother and he would take care of him properly. He followed Jake into the kitchen and was about to start an argument before the brown haired British man just turned to him.

“I think you should come and live with me.” He didn’t even blink, it was pure seriousness etched on his face and Bro was set back a little, raising an eyebrow to explain.

“I think you have to date me before asking that, English.” Jake rolled his eyes at the sarcasm.

“This apartment is the pits, you know that and I know that. I have an apartment, an actual fully working apartment with actual food and equipment to live normally, unlike here. It’s cheap and Dave will be safe there, away from mould that will probably really damage his lungs if he breathes in too much of it.”

Bro breathed out through his nose as his mind set to work thinking about the suggestion Jake made; I he lived with him in his apartment, he wouldn’t have to work so hard to have a roof over his and Dave’s head, he wouldn’t get sick due to the clammy air and mould, he wouldn’t have to deal with noisy neighbours or a landlord shrieking about rent money. He could provide safety for Dave and that was important, but on the down side, this was a very hard decision. He didn’t know Jake very well, only from a week at most, and he didn’t know anything about the man other than he worked at a kids store and he was British. He didn’t know where Jake live and he had no transport so if he lived far away from his work then it’d be a problem too, he needed that job to pay for Dave’s expenses.

Thinking to himself, Bro came to a conclusion as he looked at the other man’s face. “Alright, I’ll go with you.”

Jake’s face lit up in a sense of surprise and relief, dimples indenting his cheeks as he smiles. He stood up straight from his position of leaning on the counter and patted Bro’s arm. “Super! Let’s start packing, chum!”

Half an hour later, Bro was pulling along his old suitcase full of his clothes and baby supplies and the bag of music equipment while Jake was holding a bag of junk food from the cabinets and Dave who was fast asleep, head resting on the man’s shoulder. They left the manky mattress, stained chair and small TV behind because it would be a hindrance, plus who would want to keep crappy things like that? Certainly not Bro.

So they walked along, chatting tiredly to each other while they headed to Jake’s apartment and Bro’s new home.


	8. Chapter 8

Bro could not believe where Jake lived.

He was standing in front of expensive looking flats, their windows double glazed and new coat of paint set on the bricks. It was like a palace compared to the shit hole Bro was in. They keys fumbled a little in the lock before the door opened to reveal a shining white floor hallway leading to a living room and kitchen combined, Jake has disappeared down the hall more to the bedrooms while Bro is admiring the living room, checking out the soft sofa and fuzzy carpet.

Once he got his eyeful, he was off following Jake, peering into the bedroom and stares profoundly startled by his bedroom, a single bed on a frame and a dresser. It wasn’t much but Bro loved it. His eyes darted to Jake who was playing with Dave, wiggling his fingers and trying to get the baby tired.

“Your place is fucking huge.” Jake chuckled, shrugging like it was nothing.

“It’s only a two bedroom flat, nothing to get over excited about.” He lifted up Dave and started to rock him back and forth gently; Bro watched the small scene for a moment while something tickered in his chest. It was that stupid feeling again, a mix between a heart thump and a flicker of butterflies. Bro brushed it away and sat on the bed, changing his train of thought.

“Thanks for letting me stay.” He rubbed his neck, a flush running up his neck to his cheeks. Jake smiled that stupid dimple filled grin and passed the now sleeping infant into the blonde’s arms.

“No problem, chum. Though I do have a question… Why were you in that dump? There are other cheap apartments to live in; you didn’t have to choose that one.” Bro sighed out a breath and gazed down at the baby in his arms, so dependent on him.

“I guess not, but I didn’t want to be found so easily.” He didn’t want to look at the facial expression he probably made on the English man’s face; he just focused on Dave, running a thumb over the small digits and watching them unconsciously wrap around his and squeeze.

“What do you mean ‘be found’?” He thought he was going to get that question, shaking his head.

“By my father.” He left it at that, Jake’s face grew dark but he dropped the subject, sensing the deep tension in the air. He went to the door, looking back at the small scene before going down the hallway, saying something about making hot coco for them. He let Bro think, the memories blowing through his brain; shattering glass and screaming demons ringing in his ears. Wanting to escape but trapped for so long, destroying the spirit with alcohol. The bruises, the anger and the night terrors of constant shrieking.

He grit his teeth and whisked the thoughts away when he heard Dave whine softly in his sleep. That’s right, he was away, he was safe and he had a baby to take care of, he wasn’t in that place again and he never will. He would be a better guardian that his father ever was. With that in his mind, he laid the infant on the soft pillow and went into the kitchen, seeing Jake stirring instant coco into two mugs.

He would be alright here, his job was the same distance away and it was in a safer area. Plus to make it even better, he didn’t have to focus so much on getting loads of money since he had another person to share rent with. He took the hot coco gladly, sipping it and not minding the burning on his tongue.

They spoke for a while, about how things are going to go down, how things work in the apartment and what they have to share. It was alright with Bro, he was used to taking small amounts and keeping to himself so sharing would be a little hard at first but he will just deal with it. Once the cups were empty, they were set in the sink and Jake said his goodnights, going into his own room.

Bro stayed awake for a little while, having a look around the place to get it into his memory; the bathroom was really nice, clean and had a wide enough space for two people to work around each other. The kitchen was big enough to have a washing machine and a dishwasher sitting next to each other underneath the counter, the fridge is next to the counter and a microwave slotted in between the cabinets. This flat was almost too good to be true, how did Jake get this just from his job in that baby shop?

He didn’t want to think about it, his parents probably gave him money. He went back to his room and laid down, being careful not to wake up Dave as he rested his head against the pillow. His day was very busy; full of moving and bad memories, new beginnings were happening too and Bro would be very happy in his decision to stay with Jake. He closed his eyes and his dreams led the way into unconsciousness.


	9. Chapter 9

Bro woke up to pots and pans creating racket in the kitchen.

The sizzling smell of bacon and egg wafting through his nostrils made him get up off the bed and come to investigate, scratching his bare stomach.

Jake was frying bacon and eggs, heating up the kitchen with the stoves temperature, looking up and blushing hard at the view of the half asleep blonde, getting an eyeful of muscle before turning his head back to the food. “Good morning, sleepy head!”

“M’rnin’…” He mumbled out, sitting on one of the stools, watching the British man work his magic on the bacon. “Smells good.”

“Thanks, I love cooking.” Bro can’t see Jake’s face but he knows the man has the famous beaming smile on, dimples galore. “How much bacon do you want?”

“As much as you’re willing t’ give.” A rumbling chuckle erupts from his throat, the brunette nodded and scooped up some of the crispy pork and set it on a plate, sliding on an egg and set it in front of Bro. He took a whiff and dug right in, groaning at the mouth watering flavour.

Jake soon joined in and sat down next to the blonde, a smile only leaving his face when a starving wail came from the hallway. Bro shot up faster than lightening to go to Dave’s side, lifting the infant up and came back, rocking the distressed child. Dave was crying loudly, face red and clinging to the older man. The brunette was up before long, setting his now empty plate on the counter and preparing a bottle for the hungry baby, shaking the formula and setting it in the microwave.

Bro nodded his thanks, rocking the child and checking to see if there were any ‘surprises’ Dave left him in his diaper; thankfully there wasn’t any. He tried to calm down the sobbing with his fingers, wiggling them in front of the little one’s face, watching him reach for them and grab on tight. Only stopping that when a warm bottle was being passed to him.

“You got work today?” Jake queried Bro with gentle eyes, Bro shook his head no as he fed Dave.  
“Me neither… So that means we can get your stuff ready and go out to buy Dave a cot!”

“I couldn’t ask that of you on your day off.”

“Nonsense! Someone has to show you what just the right cot is!” He sounded excited, cleaning up his and Bro’s plate, he turned around when he was finished and the dishes were set to dry on the rack; no one could say no to that face. Bro’s shoulders slumped in defeat, what a first.

“Alright, let me get the tyke dressed first.” He set the empty bottle down and left the room to get the wriggling baby changed, but first came the burping as he so remembered from his boss.

—

“Hey, does Dave need any more toys?”

They were at the store Jake recommended the first time they met; it was a simple store with boxes of cots that had catchy slogans on the sides to get people’s attention. It was cosy, Bro was glad he came.

They were picking out a normal cot, cheap yet still big enough to put Dave and plenty of toys in. It was wooden, the smell of varnish still prominent as they took a look inside the packaging.

“Not unless you want to spoil him, I’m paying for this.” He went up to the front desk, setting the box on the counter and let the lady behind it deal with the checking and signing. Jake followed with a few cuddly toys, putting them down on the counter as well, ignoring Bro’s look of amusement. “Dave is going to be a spoilt brat and I will blame you.”

“Oh hush, a baby needs lots of toys to learn diversity of play time.” He spoke with a serious face, Bro scoffed.

“You made that up.”

“What? No way, totally didn’t.” He shrugged, sarcasm spewing from the cheeky grin.

The lady looked between the two, scanning the toys as well and putting them in a bag with the cot, speaking proudly. “You two are a beautiful couple.”

The English man’s face drained of color and shook his head in denial, Bro just stared on, not minding one bit as he rocked Dave back and forth on his hip. “No mam! I think you are surely mistaken…! He just lives me! I mean… Oh that must sound bad… Um…”

“Digging a hole for yourself there, Jakey.” He kept his face still but he so wanted to wear a shit eating smile right now; teasing this man was going to be his new favourite game. The lady seemed to enjoy the show as well because she let out a bellowing laugh, saying how it’s okay to be open with his sexuality and how she won’t judge anyone. Bro just took the bag from her and agreed full heartedly, walking away with Dave.

“Coming, dearest?” He looked back, watching how Jake’s face went bright pink as he followed behind, spewing apologies to the lady until they were out of the shop then he turned to Bro, telling him of all the way to their apartment.

When they got into the flat, Bro set Dave down on the carpet with his new toys, letting him play as he started to put the cot together; it couldn’t be that hard, right?

Two hours later and he regretted saying how easy it would be, he rage quitted three times and almost threw it out. If it weren’t for Jake then he might have, the brunette knew how to make it so he left the man work his English magic on the wooden disaster. He lay on his stomach and played with Dave, exercising his legs and attempted to be useful that way. He couldn’t get what happened earlier out of his head.

“So Jake… What’s with you denying being gay so strongly?” Jake stopped his work on the cot and stared across the room to get caught in golden eyes, not able to look away. He shrugged, biting his lip to keep his mouth shut. “What if I told you I was gay? What would you do?”

“I um… I don’t know? I’m not against gays, I dunno… I was just startled because well, we aren’t a thing. You just live with me.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he turned back to the cot, feeling awkward but Bro’s eyes were still on him.

Bro hummed and sat up, lifting Dave onto his lap and bouncing him gently, bringing a squeal out of the infant’s lips, Jake started to work on the cot again, trying to make it seem like a normal conversation topic. “So uh… Are you gay?”

Bro smirked slightly before looking over to the younger male. “Nope.”

“Oh… Oh good.”

“I’m bisexual.”


	10. Chapter 10

After the first few weeks, they got into a routine.

Jake would wake up earlier in the morning and cook the breakfast while Bro would slug himself out of bed and change Dave, get him fed and dress him before sorting out his hair and coming in with the infant into the kitchen to eat breakfast. Their bathroom schedule; every Monday and Thursday morning was Jake’s turn in the shower while every Tuesday and Friday was Bro’s morning showers. Dave would normally get bathed in the evenings because it was less stress in night times.

Neither of them spoke about that night though, no one needed too. It was out in the open now; it didn’t seem to bother Jake so it was all good in the blonde’s books. He did catch the English man giving him quick glances a few times but it was to be expected, Bro knew he had a banging body; who wouldn’t want a peek?

Bro’s job was a little closer so he didn’t have to rush so much in the mornings, he got there on time most days now, packed and ready with his turntables to practise with and a little set up place for Dave to chill and play with his toys. Dave was the big attraction in the comic store now, the baby got most of the customers in, they were mostly women but business was business.

He even got a few people interested in his music, coming in to listen and buy some magazines as well as asking him about his turntables. Things were going well for the blonde man considering the drastic changes to his life. Bro still couldn’t believe that he had a baby to take care of; it was a surprisingly easy compared to how he imagined raising a child would be. Dave was a chill little dude so Bro guesses that was one of the reasons it was easy, even if the infant was huffy at times he couldn’t have a tantrum in public.

The bell rang on the door implying someone entered the shop, making Bro snap out of his thoughts. He looked up at man; oddly dressed up in a bright purple suit, grinning from ear to ear as he strode up to the front desk. His hair was messy but his eyes were sharp and serious, he spoke in a gruff accent that wasn’t around these parts.

“I heard from a couple birds that you’re pretty good with your mixes.” The man said matter of fact, eyes never leaving Bro’s golden irises.

“Yeah, even put a few on my mp3 player. Why? You interested on listenin’?” Bro replied, keeping his voice light but questioning.

The man nodded and stared down the blonde man. “You might have heard of a new club that opened up, Sea Senses. I want to listen to your mixes and I may have an opening for you if you are to my liking.”

Bro was set back a little by the broadness of the information, but this was his big break for people to listen to his dream work. He pulled out his mp3 player and plugged his headphones in, passing them to the man who took them and stuffed them in his ears. The blonde then started to play one of his latest mixes which he is the most proud of.

The man hummed in approval at the break down, listening quietly to the song before nodding and popping the headphones out his ears, passing them back to Bro. “I like it; you are very smooth with the change of beats, almost like a professional. If you would like, there is an opening for Saturday nights, take my card and call me once you have decided.”

Before he knew it, the man panted a card in his hands and was already out the door. Holy shit. This was it, his big break from a boring comic store; this could be the start of a huge career. Bro took a deep breath, he had to calm down and think rationally. Saturday nights would imply that he would need a baby sitter for Dave; it was alright with work because they were closed on Sundays so he wouldn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn.

He looked down at the little bundle of mischief who was happily gumming on a toy. “You think Jake would be alright with baby sitting you once a week?”

Dave looked up, beaming as he saw Bro was giving him attention, cooing loudly and wriggling in the set up den for the child. “I’ll take that as a positive yes.”

—

When they got home, Bro let Dave get comfy in the living room, setting out all his toys and sat with him while he waited for Jake to arrive home. Jake’s shift ends normally around five while Bro’s ended at three so the Strider got to have two hours of freedom playing with Dave.

The keys jingled in the lock before the door swung open, a loud British accent bellowing out before the wooden door slammed shut. “I’m home! I bought groceries!”

Bro was up like lightning, he had a plan; play super nice to English and hope that the sweet talk will get him to consider baby sitting while he played in the club. Operation was a go, he took Jake’s bags and welcomed him home, setting the heavy load down on the counter before putting the newly bought items into their expected areas in the kitchen.

“My my, you’re enthusiastic today Mister Strider…” He laughed, greeting Dave before coming into the kitchen to help out.

“Well you know, kind gentleman an’ all that. Say, you look nice today, Jakey. Did you do somethin’ with your hair?” He let out a grin as the brunette’s cheek flamed up with the kind comments, patting his locks.

Throughout the rest of the day, Bro was a full out charmer, Jake’s face was red as a strawberry; apparently the British man didn’t get that many compliments often. The blonde was slowly adding extra hints about baby sitting for him, talking about how Jake should listen to his music some time and that it really got some people’s attention.

After about the two hundredth compliment, Jake turned to the other man and crossed his arms. “You’re a charmer, but you’re not that much of a charmer. Tell me what’s going on, are you in danger or do you just want something from me?”

Bro gulped, lifting Dave onto his hip, the infant hugging a teddy close and having a chewing fit with its poor ear. He shrugged, giving defeat. “I got a manager asking me about DJing for him on Saturday nights for his new club.”

“Oh really? Well that’s amazing! I’m glad you’re getting somewhere!” The man grinned proudly. Bro scratched the back of his neck with his hand that wasn’t holding Dave.

“There’s a catch… Ah, I need someone to baby sit Dave.” He looked at the other man, keeping a straight face as he let it sink in for a moment. Jake’s emerald eyes widened for a moment before he burst into laughter.

“Is this why you were treating me like our Majesty the Queen? Oh my, Bro. You know I cannot withhold anything back when it comes to Dave, he’s too cute to say no to.” Bro grinned and bounced the baby on his hip, making him let out an excited squeal before giggling, drooling on the poor traumatised teddy’s fuzzy head.

He gave the infant to Jake and went to the phone, calling the man. Jake sat on the sofa with Dave, playing with the baby’s fingers while he sighed. “I thought it was going to be something different for a moment there… Don’t give me that look, I’m not disappointed.”

He laughed off the feeling of something churning in his stomach, bouncing the child on his knees until Bro scooped him up, saying something about celebrating the fact he’s finally going to be famous. Bro looked down at the brunette, seeing a spot of sadness in those emerald eyes. “Whasda matter, Jakey?”

The other swallowed his thoughts and waved it off. “Just thinking about how Dave will miss you when you’re a famous music maker, pal!”

Bro wasn’t letting it go, but he would drop it for now, going off into the kitchen to heat up a prepared bottle when Dave whined hungrily.

—

On Saturday, Bro was a mess of trying to find something for him to wear and styling his hair, practising all his songs, taking care of Dave until the last minute. He went down to the club earlier in the week to sort out the amount of songs he had to do, how long the night would be and how much he would get paid; not that mattered to Bro but the number was enough to get him interested all over again.

Luckily Jake was there to help out, even letting him lend a shirt. The British man still had something about him, like he wasn’t trying to hide something and Bro was not going to let that happen. When Dave was playing in the pen, Jake was fixing his dinner in the kitchen so Bro came and leaned on the counter, watching him as he stirred the pan full of what looked like pasta.

“What’s been on your mind lately, Jakey?” He kept his tone light hearted. The man in question turned his head to the other and shrugged, keeping a gentle smile on his face.

“Not much, just thinking about what I should put on my spaghetti.” Bro nodded and kept the façade playing on, letting Jake get back to his food stirring.

“Well alright, you jus’ seem a little down about something I said is all. No matter though, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He quickly left the room before Jake could say anything back to him. Going to Dave an lifting him up, kissing his head and told him to be good before setting back down to his fun pen and going to grab his turntables.

“Wait! Strider, what did you mean?!” Jake was in the doorway, fists balling and unclenching, Bro felt the thread snap for the British man, turning to him with a straight face behind the glasses.

“Well I dunno, what did you want it to mean?”

“You were being all nice to me and all so you could baby sit Dave! Wha… I don’t get you!” He was getting all worked up, scratching the back of his head and breathing a little faster than normal.

“Yep. All for Dave, gotta make sure my lil’ man isn’t left by himself.” He deadpanned.

“So you smooth talked me for that? Just for that?” Bro raised an eyebrow, questioning the English man.

“I thought you were going all nice on me because you came out the closet for me and… And you look like you don’t really understand what I mean so I’m going to just let you go to your club.”

“Just because I said I was bisexual, doesn’t mean I suddenly have an attraction to you.” Jake looked down at his feet and clenched his fists back up before staring straight ahead and into Bro’s shades.

“Well maybe… Maybe you should!!” He closed his mouth tight and kept his eyes open, the realisation of what he just said hitting him like a train. Bro stood there for a moment, registering what he just heard, face lie stone before opening the door, going through it.

“Maybe I will.” And with that Bro closed the door behind him and walked his way to the club, one step closer to the dream.


	11. Chapter 11

The club was amazing; the night was just beginning and there was already a huge line of people waiting to get inside.

Bro got in thanks to the bouncer; he got a drink before going up to the area of the DJ, setting up all his equipment. People were at the bar, getting their drinks up and waiting for the music, the lights were already on and flashing.

They didn’t have to wait for long because once Bro set up his turntables and plugged in his mp3 player he was off with a mix. People started filling in to the club and out to the dance floor and they stayed there for the rest of the night, hours upon hours of mixes and smooth tunes with a beat and a break down only to crash with a medley that drove the crowds wild. Bro didn’t even realise the time until his watch went off to show what time it was.

He played his final song while the people started to leave the club, some carrying their drunken friends out while some had hooked up and were going home with strangers.

He started packing away his things when the manager came up and patted him on the back for a good night, putting a wad of cash into Bro’s hand. “Go get a good night’s sleep; I’ll see you next week.”

—

Jake was playing with Dave all night long, it was unlucky but the baby just didn’t want to go to sleep unless his big protective brother was there to keep him safe in the night. So Jake had to keep the child occupied even when he was falling asleep sitting up.

He groaned in relief when Bro came home sneaking into the living room only to find out that they were all awake. Dave spotted Bro and let out an excited cooing sound, hugging the man’s neck when he picked the infant up. “I’m sorry you had to baby sit him, I didn’t know he would keep you up.”

“Nah it’s fine, I don’t have work tomorrow so I can sleep in.” Jake waved it off, standing up and stretching his back, relaxing once he popped all the kinks in it. Dave was already getting sleepy in Bro’s arms, laying his head on the blonde’s shoulder.

“I’ll make it up to you.” Jake nodded in his sleepy understanding and waded his way to his bedroom, yawning out a goodnight before shutting the door gently behind him. Once Bro set down Dave for the night, he laid his head down and tried to wind down for hopefully a good hourly sleep.

—

It didn’t turn out to be so long, Bro forgot to turn off his alarm so three hours later he got a rude awakening. It woke the infant up too; wailing sleepily which quickly turned into loud hungry shrieking, so there was no point going to sleep now and lifted Dave up, going out into the kitchen to get a bottle.

Thankfully once the feeding was done and the burping was over, Dave fell back asleep and was set back in the cot, Bro on the other hand couldn’t get back to sleep and so sat in the living room and watched the morning’s television until it turned eight in the morning, he heard a bang and a grunt, Jake’s door opening to reveal the most amazing bed head Bro has ever seen.

“Mornin’ sleepin’ beauty.” Jake looked over groggily before mumbling a reply and going straight to the fridge, getting out the eggs and bacon for his breakfast. “Sorry again for keep you up all night with Davey.”

“’S alright…” Jake never was much of a morning person; he had a routine so he didn’t need to be awake much for his body to continue on repeat. Bro was thinking about the little tiff they had before he had to leave, how Jake had said he wanted the blonde to feel attracted to him. Don’t get him wrong, he certainly did feel attraction like that towards Jake but it was the first time he’s felt like this. It was a whole new experience for the Strider.

“So Jake, let’s talk.” He wanted to get it out in the open and today was the perfect day due to them both not going to work or needing to go out. The brunette looked up from the pan of sizzling bacon and raised an eyebrow in question. “You know, about our little conversation last night.”

It was silent for a moment before it dawned on Jake, his face showing horror before a huge blush swept across his cheeks. “What’s there to discuss? I think it was pretty clear.”

“I think we need to talk about more about it. So Jake, what do you feel for this handsome devil living in your house?” He wanted to keep it upbeat and not too much like he was interviewing the other man, especially in the morning where people could be at their crankiest.

“It’s our house, Bro. You live here and pay for your share of the rent too.” Jake dodged the question and Bro knew it, enough about the house he wanted answers.

“Okay, so what do you feel about me?” No quick turn around to let the British man side track. He watched how he fought for words that just wouldn’t escape; how to phrase it properly and how to make it sound light hearted.

“Well… I think you are brave for taking care of your brother, and I think you’re a strong and independent man.” He nodded, turning back to the stove and cracking some eggs to the hot pan. Bro frowned; it was good to be complimented but he knew Jake was trying to just make it about friendship and not more.

“Yeah but how do you really feel about me? Am I just the guy with a kid who lives in your home? Or am I your friend? A fuck buddy?” He was listing all the possible ideas that Jake could have to try and get a reaction, the minute he said about being sexual partners, he saw the man tense his shoulders. Ah, so he had thought about being sexual, nice. “Want me to just be your nightly visit? Or something more?”

“Strider you’re too blunt.” The brunette was blushing so bad; it is true that he did have these sorts of feelings but he had never felt them for another man, it was sort of scary for Jake. “So what if I have a little crush… It’s perfectly normal!”

“A crush? That’s so cute Jakey.” He felt the breath against the back of his neck; how did he get behind him without him knowing? He was fast. He continued to cook his breakfast, tensing up a little more when strong hands landed on his hips, just resting there, not anything else. “So what do you want to do about said crush?”

“I don’t know, Bro.” Jake was beginning to get a little anxious; maybe Bro wanted an answer so that he could make fun, or maybe he liked him back and just wanted him to say it first before doing anything. “You decide.”

With that in mind, he was pulled away from the stove and turned around, firm lips pressed against his and he was shocked. It wasn’t unwelcomed though and soon Jake was responding to the kiss, wrapping his arms around the blonde’s neck, so much for talking it out. They obviously both felt the need for a while and it was like they couldn’t stop. The kiss got heated, tongues rubbing against each other and hands roaming around body parts, Bro seemed to like the feel of the other man’s ass and kept kneading it, making the brunette moan breathlessly against his mouth.

Before Jake knew it, he was being lifted onto the counter and his shirt was pulled up to his armpits, his fingers in the blonde locks, a bit out of place and some pieces stuck together from sleeping on it with gel. He didn’t care about that though before his nipples were being attacked by the rough pads of thumbs, Jake normally didn’t feel anything when he played with them in his secret moments but with Bro’s teasing he was feeling something alright. His pyjama pants were getting tight and he wanted more.

He got more, wrapping his legs around the blonde’s waist and pulling him closer so they could grind together as one. His mouth was free to reign free as he let out whimpering whines at the ministrations the blonde was doing to his body. Bro was too busy making his marks on Jake’s neck, one hand teasing the pink nubs on his chest while his other hand going down to grip that plush behind again; he was going to get addicted to this choice ass.

They stayed like that for a while, grinding against one another as brunette hands clung while blonde hands teased and groped. It was like they knew exactly where their pleasure spots were, making each other desperate for everything they had to give. Jake seemed to have less stamina though because he got more jerky with the rolling of his hips and his voice was going up an octave, he was going to cum soon.

Bro noticed this and brought both of his hands to that plush rump and pulled him flush against each other to have harsher grinds, pulling more erotic groans from the man. Jake was panting heavily now, each hump of hard flesh in denim made him ever so closer until he couldn’t hold back anymore. He wrapped his arms around Bro’s neck again and gripped the shirt as he get himself get pulled over the edge, not even touching himself once.

He came in his pyjama pants, not caring about the sticky mess, he rode out the best orgasm of his life; he had sex before with women and it was okay but this was another level, this is where he wanted to be. This was right. Bro still needed to cum so he held on for the ride, the sensitivity of his cock rubbing against clothing just after cumming hurt a little but it was worth it to watch Bro’s face twist in pleasure.

Bro was so close, he let himself go wild and dug his nails into the other’s lower back as he thrust his hips harshly, letting out a grunt as he too came in his pants. He let his head fall against Jake’s shoulder, getting back his breath as the brunette held him, they were content and he guessed they both knew what they wanted.

After a while of letting the afterglow of their orgasms wave through them, they leant up to gently kiss. It was much different this time, they didn’t need to feel the passion of crushing lips bruising the tender skin, they just let tired lips mould together as one.

It was perfect. They were happy and that was all that matters, they could raise Dave together, they could learn to say they love each other. They could even get married; the options were endless in this precise moment. Their foreheads touched as their eyes closed, letting the relaxation slip by them.

Until they smelt burning. “Shit! My breakfast!!”


End file.
